King Cake…better late than never, eh? This recipe is an adaptation of an Emeril recipe & it turned out quite well- tasty, tasty! This recipe has two rising cycles so be sure to plan in advance when you are making this & make sure your oven is clear to allow the dough to rise in peace.
You’ll need:
Combine the yeast and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and with the hook up, slowly add the melted butter and warm milk – warm, not hot. You don’t want to kill your yeast. Beat at low speed for 1 minute.
Then, with the mixer running, add the egg yolks one at a time & then beat for 1 minute at medium-low speed…here are my separated egg yolks:
Mix the salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest in a bowl:
The trick to good lemon zest is to stop grating when you hit the white pith beneath the peel- the pith is bitter, while the rind provides essential oils & a subtle lemon flavor. Your lemon will look like this when you are done grating it for the peel:
Then add the lemon zest/nutmeg/salt mixture to your flour and bea until combined. Then, increase the speed to high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and starts to climb up the dough hook. (If the dough is uncooperative in coming together, add a bit of warm water (110 degrees), a tablespoon at a time, until it does.) At this point you’ll want your dough to be in a ceramic or wooden bowl to rise (lightly oiling the bowl is a good idea):
You want your dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place. A gas oven is perfect, as the pilot light provides a warm enviornment & the closed door keeps the drafts out. Be sure to cover it & let it rise for about 2 hours, or until it doubles in size:
While the dough is rising you can get your baby out & make the filling. A King Cake baby looks like this: 
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, remaining cinnamon and 1 cup of the confectioner’s sugar. Blend by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed. Set aside.Your dough should be big and puffy like this:
Work it into a rectangle, about 30 inches long & 6-7 inches wide. The metal pastry cutter at the end is 6 inches wide:
Smooth the cream cheese filling in the center of the dough, leaving the edges free to be pinched together.
Then fold the dough over length-wise & pinch the dough together. You’ll have a long, skinny filled rectangle:
I like to put it on a round pizza sheet, covered in foil. You can put an oven safe bowl or empty coffee can in the center to help it keep its shape. The the baby into the cake. Wrap the dough into a circle & pinch the two ends together, smoothing the seam as much as possible:
Back in the oven it goes, but just to rise again! Let it sit for about 45 minutes & then brush with 2 tablespoons of milk & bake, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown: 
Let the cake cool completely & remove your bowl from the center. Transfer to a cake pan or serving tray & make the icing for it. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons milk, the lemon juice, and the remaining 3 cups confectioner’s sugar in medium-size mixing bowl. Stir to blend well. 
With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals, alternating colors around the cake. (I only had gold sprinkles which didn’t photograph very well.) Try not to drip the frosting like I did- such a mess to clean up! Booze pictured is optional 
Slice into 2 inch pieces & serve to your guests. Who ever gets the baby gets good luck & has to make the first King Cake of the next season! 